***** Some background info****
I regard myself as the biggest Bold and the Beautiful fan on this site, my reason is because I’ve been watching this soap since the early days, the days when Brooke was still living in the valley with her sisters Donna and Katie and her brother Storm, the days of Caroline and Ridge and off course the days of Rocco, Margo (who’s now Kate in Days) and Bill Spencer. Yep those were the days.
I’m such a big fan that even though I know whats going to happen in future episodes, I still need to watch the episode play out. Even though many of you may have given up on Bold,what with recycled storylines and exchanging of bed partners, Bold still continues to dominate as one of the most popular soapies in the world and this is further evidenced by the consistent 18:00 timeslot on SABC 1, its one of the few international soaps that haven’t changed times or channels *cough Days* cough,so that must surely say something about the viewers in South Africa.
Encouraged by my fellow TVSA mods, Charmed_Dude and Brown Shuga, I have decided to start a B&B blog even if its just for those who don’t watch anymore but still want to know whats going on or for those who do watch and would still like to catch my updates. Anyway onto the actual article, enjoy!
With Felica dying of cancer, she stumbled upon the bright idea to get her parents together again for old times’ sake. Now we know Steph and Eric have a love/hate thing going on what with Eric trying to “steal” Stephanie’s company away from her and to further rub salt into her very raw wounds, he went and married her arch enemy, Brooke.
Well that marriage didn’t last long as Brooke is always hung up on Ridge but strangely enough, the object of her affections this time around, dear friends is not Ridge but his brother, wait for it…….NICK!
Yes the very same Nick who is married to Brooke’s daughter Bridget. Yep, remember she had an affair with an ex-husband of Bridget’s before, Deacon and bore his child, the very adorable Hope. Come to think of it, what is Little Hope’s surname, is it Sharpe, Logan or Forrester?
Well when the very dead Taylor miraculously appeared out of nowhere, Steph faked a heart attack to pressure Ridge into marrying Taylor again. The two renewed their vows at their "dying" mother’s bedside and poor Brooke was kicked out of the house and out of Ridge’s life once again. Sound familiar?
The very lonely and depressed Brooke Logan sought solace in sailor boy Nicki’s strong arms and one night on his boat, during a power outage, a bulb went off in Brooke’s head/heart/drawers that her destiny was never Ridge but all the time Nick. The two kissed passionately but could never reveal their true feelings as Bridget was already pregnant with Nick’s baby, a baby that Nick would do anything to have.
Well when Bridget found out about her mother’s betrayal, she left Nick and he had to swim very deep waters to win back her trust. Now she and Nicky boy are playing happy family waiting for the birth of their baby.
Meanwhile things did’nt exactly work out the way Taylor had expected. Things were just not the same between her and Ridge ever since she returned and the root of their problem, BROOKE! Ridge was still inlove with Brooke and was forced to give up his marriage to her.
Using Brooke’s tactic, Taylips turned to Hector Ramirez and confided all the problems she was experiencing in her marriage. Well for a psychiatrist Taylor isn’t very clever. If a man other than your husband shows that he’s very much into you, why tell him about your marital problems? Naturally any woman will feel very vulnerable having a handsome fireman listen to your problems, offering his broad shoulders to comfort you.
Hector was so hot for Taylor, he kept fantasizing about the two of them getting it on but the pure and virtuous Taylor never gave into him no matter how many times he told her that husband was the biggest jerk in LA. You go Hector!
Well one day on New Year’s Eve to be exact, Ridge was still in France and Taylor having gone through all the trouble of arranging a romantic evening for the two of them, was upset when he called to say he won’t be home. Hector was right there when she received the call and an upset Taylor told him to leave while she ran crying upstairs.
She got undressed and was in her sexy underwear (all for Ridge) when Hector stepped into her room wanting to console her. Meanwhile Brooke, wanting to bring baby RJ to spend some time with his father, came into the house, saw the table laid for dinner and called out to Taylor but in that massive house, there was no answer. Just before Brooke left, she noticed Hector’s ID badge lying on the floor and a very curious Brooke made her way upstairs. It was in that moment that Taylor gave in to Hector and kissed him and that is the scene that greeted Brooke when she stepped into the room.
Brooke was shocked that the Angel Taylor would dare cross the line with another man whilst still being married to another. Taylor begged and pleaded with Brooke not to say anything since nothing really happened and she would tell Ridge herself but Brooke was relishing the role reversal, exposing Taylor would be the highlight of her life.
Taylor went straight to her best friend Stephanie and told her what had happened and Steph told her to tell Ridge before Brooke gets to him. However Taylor had something else up her sleeve. For some or other stupid reason, Taylor got it into her mind that the reason things are not working out for her and Ridge is because of a secret almost as old as B&B itself. Taylor slept with James when they were both trapped at Big Bear during an earthquake and James was still a virgin and the kind and giving doc just wanted to fulfill the guy’s dying wish, PITY SEX , that’s all it was.
No matter how Steph begged Taylor not to tell Ridge, she was adamant that he would forgive her and they would move on. Well Taylor how wrong you were.
When Ridge heard the news, he blew a gasket or nearly did. Secretly he was glad Taylips told him this as he was looking for a way to get out of the marriage but did not want to look like the bad guy. You see Ridge could not get used to this new set of lips that Taylor suddenly had. Where’s his doc with the beautiful long dark hair and supple lips?
This was the perfect excuse to end that marriage and he went on about hypocrisy, how she and his mother treated BROOKE all these years when they were no better.
Alas it happened that the two decided to divorce after Taylor couldn’t handle hearing BROOKE’S name anymore and in a tearjerker moment, Taylor kept looking back to her life with Ridge, a life where she was young and beautiful and looked normal, not this new woman with short hair, weird breasts and big lips.
Now that Ridge has divorced Taylor, he decided to pick up where he left off with Brooke, thinking that she was just gonna fall into his arms again. Well, Ridge was no longer Brooke’s destiny so she felt feathers when he came knocking on her door again. It must be love when Brooke is not willing to take Ridge back but is willing to settle for eye contact and the odd embrace between her and Nick.
Nick pleaded with Brooke not to take Ridge back, not to allow herself to be hurt
again but we all know how vulnerable Brooke is when it comes to Ridge. Just one kiss and Brooke was putty in Ridge’s arms but wait, somehow the putty had hardened over the years and Brooke told Ridge that he had hurt her far too much and the odd kiss or two and admitting his mistakes was not gonna make up for a lifetime of him choosing other women over her.
Mmmm what was Ridge to do? He had just left his wife for his other wife and now this wife isn’t wiling to take him back? Where will he sleep, btw where is Ridge living now? He moved out of the house he shared with Taylor and Brooke has not allowed him back into her bedroom yet and Felicia is staying in the guesthouse, could Ridge possibly have moved back in with mum that we didn’t see or did he check into a hotel or maybe he’s living with his dad, Massimo or even sleeping at the office since its where he spends most of his time.
Obviously Steph and Taylor are under the impression that Brooke is waiting with open arms ready to take Ridge back but his ego has not allowed him to admit to them that Brooke doesn’t want him back or maybe he think he can just softsoap her by rearranging her garden to look like a tropical paradise, birds and monkeys included. Ridge tries to work his magic by reminding Brooke of their weddind day in Puerto Vista but Brooke didn’t fall for that one either, she was kinda hard on the guy and for a slight second there I actually felt sorry for him but only for a second. What’s next up your sleeve Ridge?
Meanwhile Felicia Forrester has waltzed back into town, ok not exactly waltzed more like she stumbled back into LA and with her came a whole bunch of secrets. Mind you Felicia was also looking different these days, no she had not had plastic surgery and botox and boob lifts, she would’ve stayed in LA for that.
We, the viewers were introduced to a new Felicia played by Lesli Kay and boy I must tell you, she fits perfectly into the role of a more mature Felicia. The other Felicia was okay for laughs as a younger, more rebellious Felicia but this one was ideal for the powerful and emotional storyline she was about to embark on.
When Felicia came back home, things were strained between her and her mother but Stephanie was determined not to let her daughter slip past her this time. She was on a mission to make things right with Felicia and in her quest she offered to let Felicia and her friend Rene stay in the guesthouse. Naturally Steph assumed her daughter was gay but she later found out that there was a baby living with them and the baby was Felicia’s.
Not only was it Felicia’s baby but it also turned out that Baby Dominick was so named after his dad, yep our sailor boy Nick is quite a busy man. Last time Felicia was in town and Nick was still hung up on Brooke, he took his sexual frustrations out on Felicia who happened to have cancer at that time. Well miracle of miracles, she fell pregnant through the treatment she was on and immediately stopped the treatment so that her baby could have a chance at life thereby shortening hers.
Through Stephanie’s persistent meddling in her kids’ lives, Nick found out about his son and eventually Bridget learnt the truth as well. Felicia found out that her cancer had returned and she had made plans for her son’s future. She asked Bridget if she would be willing to be a mother to her son when she, Felicia, passes on. Through many talks with Nick, Bridget finally relented.
After Eric and Brooke got divorced, Eric once again turned his attentions to Jackie Marone and she was only too eager for any sniff in her direction. She and Eric became closer than they ever have before and we were even subjected to the two of them having a bedroom scene.
Meanwhile back at the Forrester mansion, Felicia’s illness came to be known by the family and everyone was only too willing to cater to her every wish, yep including Steph and Eric agreeing to re-marry for her sake.
So the Forresters got together, Ridge, Thorne and Darla, even Kristen flew in from Florida and they gathered in their parents’ home sharing a magical evening of love, stories were exchanged and finally Felicia let her parents off the hook telling them they need not get married to please her since she had already received what she wanted by them all being together.
Stephanie told her daughter that they had promised to get married and that is exactly what they were gonna do. Unknown to anyone else, earlier that day or it could’ve been the previous evening, Eric had proposed marriage to Jackie telling her about his impending nuptials to Steph which is only for Felica’s sake and once she’s gone, he will quickly annul their marriage and marry her. Quite complicated but like I said, Jackie is like a puppy who’s happy with any scraps thrown her way.
So Steph and Eric re-married and all was well in the Forrester mansion as the band played and everyone danced.
Once Taylor had signed her divorce papers, she was as free as a bird but she was an unhappy bird not willing to fly away. She was grieving the loss of her marriage in the only way she knew how, no she did not fall into a heap and sob her eyes out, not yet at least. What she did though which surprised the heck out of me, she popped open a bottle of champers, turned the volume up on her sound system and started dancing like a psychiatrist gone crazy.
After all her hopping about, she tried to pour more wine but the bottle was empty. A very drunk Taylor sarcastically reflected back on her marriage blaming her perfect persona for her marriage ending so suddenly. Then she took her car keys and hit the road and whilst driving she once again reflected on her marriage. Ridge called her to find out if she was okay after Thomas spoke to him about the poor state that she was in but she insisted that she was fine and put the phone down. It was just at that moment with her eyes turned away from the road, that headlights were shone in her face and we heard her screaming.
The next evening we see Taylor lying unconscious in her wrecked car in a ditch. First person on the scene surprise surprise, Hector Ramirez. Taylor only suffered a few cuts and bruises and Hector took her straight home, scolding her for drinking and driving.
He suggested she help out at the shelter to give some meaning to her life now that Ridge is out of it instead of drinking her sorrows away. She told him she would think about it.
Over at the beach house, Bridget has prepared a special romantic setting for her
and Nick, she ordered food from Café Ruse and told Nick that it’s the right time to give their unborn daughter a name. Nick joked around and suggested they add their two names together and came up with Nicket but Bridget had already thought of a special name for their daughter. She showed Nick the pink blanket she had just finished knitting (Bridget can knit, who taught her, surely not Brooke?) and on it was the name they were gonna give their daughter, NICOLE.
Nick was speechless as Bridget told him the significance of the name and how their daughter would always remind her of him. Just as Bridget got up from the table, she cried out in pain as she clutched her belly. She first blamed it on indigestion but then she got a sharper pain and Nick was forced to take her to the hospital while Bridget kept saying, “it’s too soon”.
Over at the hospital, Bridget was in severe pain and the doctor gave her medication to prevent her going into early labour. Nick was with her all the time, trying to take her mind off things by joking around and it worked, the contractions stopped and Bridget seemed to be okay.
Felicia and Eric had heard about Bridget being admitted to the hospital and Felicia asked Eric to take her and at the same time they can get her medication. With Bridget in a more stable condition, Nick decided to go home and pack her some clothing since the doctor told her she had to remain in hospital for a few days. Felicia stayed with Bridget and gave her a cute gift for the baby, a tiny leather jacket. Just as the two embraced, Bridget cried out in pain and it seemed that the baby was coming but Bridget was trying her best to hold back knowing that if the baby was born too early the chance of surviving was very slim.
There was nothing Bridget could really do but let nature take its course. The contractions became stronger and closer together and before Bridget could say anything, the doctor was urging her to push and push.
After several pushes and loud moans and groans from Bridget, the baby was finally born. But wait, why wasn’t there the joyful sounds of a baby’s first cry, Bridget noticed this and asked the doctor but the she took the baby to the other side of the room and with the help of the other nurses, they tried to revive the baby but the sorrowful looks on their faces was enough to let Bridget know that Baby Nicole never was and never will be, the baby was stillborn.
What followed after that is probably the most gut-wrenching, tear jerker scenes that Bold has had in a long time. Bridget was beside herself with grief and Felicia was right there supporting her all the way. Bridget demanded to see her baby before they took her away and although we didn’t see the dead baby, I was so caught up in the moment, I could almost imagine what it looked like.
Evenually Nick got back to the hospital and the look on Eric’s face was enough to tell him that he was too late. As he entered the dark room, one could almost smell the death and grief in the air. Felicia excused herself and allowed Nick to be with his grieving wife.
I must say this whole storyline was very good acting on the part of the key players, kudos to Ashley Jones (Bridget), Jack Wagner (Nick) and Lesli Kay (Felicia).
Later Felica came in with Baby Dominick and handed him to Bridget telling her that she will look for Nicole and take care of her while Bridget will look after Dominick. I presume she meant when she gets to heaven, she will look for Baby Nicole and take care of her while Bridget is looking after her baby on earth.
Eventually everyone had gathered at the hospital to give Bridget their support. Eric and Brooke went in and consoled Bridget in her grief, Thorne and Ridge were right there and even Jackie.
Conspicuously absent from all of this was Queen Stephanie, was she not informed, was she perhaps having tea with Taylor and consoling her on her loss, well whatever but the Queen has been rather scarce lately and for us not to see Steph in over five episodes is quite a lot since they didn’t say anything about her going on honeymoon alone but then again Bold has this dirty habit of making character disappear without any explanation, like Amber, Deacon and Samantha Kelly.
So Bridget and Nick have lost their baby Nicole, how strong will their marriage be now that there is no baby and we all know that Nick really has the hots for his mother inlaw. What about Baby Dominick, the two had made a promise to Felicia that they will be that baby’s parents once she dies. Will Taylor eventually give in to Hector and satisfy his long overdue craving for her, who will Brooke choose now that both her DESTINIES are actually free from any other responsibilities. Will Steph and Eric find their way to each other again now that they’ve remarried and what about Jackie, how much bones is she willing to have thrown at her? Then there’s gorgeous Dante who has a past with Felicia and has been spending a lot of time with her lately but he’s also inlove with Bridget, where does his heart really lie?
Tune in to find out all this and more.
The Bold and the Beautiful
Mondays - Fridays
SABC 1
18:00